


Starboys

by PaleNoFace



Series: Tree Bros Adventures [13]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alana Has ADHD, Altean Jeremy Heere, Altean Michael Mell, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anxiety Attacks, Artist Connor, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Connor Has Depressive Episodes, Depression, Evan Will Probably Die Of Stress At Some Point, Evan has Anxiety, Half-Galra Alana Beck, Heroes Against Their Will, Human Connor Murphy, Human Evan Hansen, Human Zoe Murphy, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jared Is A Sarcastic Little Shit, Jeremy Swears A Lot, Jeremy needs a hug, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow To Update, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-03-12 06:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13541649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaleNoFace/pseuds/PaleNoFace
Summary: It was supposed to be a nice night with star-gazing, food, paint and friends. None of them expected to be choosen to fight on the front line of an intergalactic war.





	1. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan is nervous, Jared needs fresh air, Connor is soft and Zoe wants to see her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really shouldn't write this right now. I have like, six others fics to update and I can't focus on a single one of them. WELP, TOO BAD.

"I-I'm just saying this here, right now, on the record : t-this is a bad idea."

"Relax, Ev, it's not like it's the first time we do this," Jared grins, straddling the fence. "Besides, a little adventure can't hurt your domesticated ass."

"A-all of your little 'a-adventures' end up with me in the p-principal's office," Evan mutters under his breath but still carefully climbs after him, despite his cast and his additionnal jacket tied around his waist clinging on everything.

Jared shrugs. His friend is not wrong, but hey, his friendship can't only come with perks.

"Are you wimping out, Hansen ?" he says mockingly.  
"Never," Evan replies, trying his best to not fall from the top of the wire fence and finally jumping next to Jared, safe and sound. "Where are we meeting C-Connor ?" he asks, dusting his jeans and hands.

The light of Jared's phone screen illuminates the night, creating strange shadows on both their faces. The small boy taps on it a few times, opening a chat tab and quickly scrolling down.

"He says he's waiting for us at the old gas station with Zoe, and Alana says that she will be late but still coming. She joins us directly there with the food."

Evan hums and starts to walk down the dirt road leading to their boarding school, Jared on his tail, still typing on his phone. Evan hates the place : everything is brown and grey, dusty and reeking of melancholia. It sticks to his skin like a layer of sweat and creeps everywhere : in his hair, under his nails, in his mind. The area is just one big tub of sadness that inevitably rubs off on people.

"You know," Jared calls after a few minutes of walking, his cell now burried in the depths of his kakis' pocket, "You really should have a phone on your own, just so I don't have to play the carrier pigeon between you and your boyfriend anymore."  
"C-Connor is n-not my..!" Evan almost shrieks, burrying his scarlet face in his hands but hitting himself with the cast in the process. "...Ow."  
"Yeah, well keep lying to yourself," Jared says with another shrug. "Since the tree incident you're all mushy and gross together. Anyway. But consider it, seriously. Could be useful."  
"I can't," Evan mumbles, rubbing his sore cheek with his good hand. "Too expensive. And the school doesn't allow it."  
"The school doesn't need to know. How do you think I still have mine ?" he grins, patting his pocket.

Evan only pouts, unconvinced, and keeps moving forward. Jared doesn't say anything but happily grins : it's about time they sneak out of school, the atmosphere was way too oppresive to stay one more day. He knows of course that they'll have to come back in the morning - after all, they're in the middle of nowhere, it's not like they could go very far. When the tumbledown gas station finally comes into view, his sly smile creeps back on his face and he shouts :

"Back in black I see !"

Evan yelps and jumps in surprise, then glares at him from above his shoulder, a hand reflexively clasped on his heart. Someone laughs from the shadows of a concrete pillar, and replies without moving from their spot :

"Didn't know you where the ACDC type, Kleinman."  
"Oh, you would be surprised," Jared smiles and grabs Evan's arm to drive in the general direction of the voice.

Connor is sitting at the base of the pillar, waiting patiently for them to meet him. He stands up when the duo is close enough, high-fives Jared and side-hugs Evan, who responds with a quick hug as well. They walk to the old car parked under the tin roof, Zoe's figure jerkily illuminated on the passenger sit by whatever she's watching on her tablet. As they open every other door, she looks up and smile :

"About time ! What took you so long ?"  
"Have you any idea how hard it is to convince mister McFreakout Wetpants here to get out of his room after curfew ?" Jared replies, pointing at Evan who's climbing with difficulty inside of the car.  
"D-despite the risk of repeating myself, I still think it's a bad idea," Evan says with a huff from the back seat after finally succeeding at getting in, under the amused gaze of both of the Murphy kids.

Connor rolls his eyes playfully, a smirk spreading across his lips, and Zoe turns around on her sit.

"Okay okay so. Does everyone have what they were supposed to bring ?"  
"I-I got the music," Evan responds, fishing a small black speaker and an ipod out of his second jacket.  
"I have the glowing paint," Connor adds from behind the wheel as he starts the engine.  
"I have so many blankets in the truck we could build a fort," Zoe says.  
"Aaaaand I got the Jack Daniels, you're very welcome," Jared concludes, a bottle magically appearing from his pants, making Evan frown.  
"S-sometimes I wonder how deep your pockets actually are."  
"Dude," Connor whistles from the front, as he looks at his friend in the mirror. "Are you related to Mary Poppins or something ?"  
"Joke on you, it's actually my aunt's name," Jared deadpans.  
"No way," Zoe snorts, still rear facing.  
"Yes way. It's purely coincidential though. Evan can confirm, he met her once at a family gathering."

Evan sighs and nods half-heartedly.

"It's true, I even a-asked to see her ID."

Connor sniggers. The car is moving down the road, away from any trace of civilisation and deep into the desert. The only thing that proves them they're still on Earth is the periodic apparition of rusty road signs, planted on the ground every now and then like a strange cacti army. Inside of the car, Jared is bitching about one of his teachers while Zoe is scrolling through Evan's playlists to find something to sing along. Connor is keeping an eye on the road but often looks behind him to friendly roast Jared. Evan is curled up on his sit, feeling content despites his fear of being caught by the director the next morning. It's warm and happy inside of the car, in complete contrast with the cold gloomy night on the other side of the window.


	2. Starry Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, glowy paint and blankets is all it takes to have a good time. And sometimes, an UFO is all it takes to crash the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmh guess who wrote another chapter while she's supposed to update two other fics ? THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S LITTLE ME.

Half an hour and sixteen songs later, Connor finally parks on the sideway and everyone gets down of the car. Zoe deploys a large oil cloth a few meters away, plopping down an impressive amount of blanket and a bunch of pillows. Evan is sitting at the edge of it all, a small flashlight between his teeth to see what he's doing with his ipod's cable.

 

"I'll fucking stab you with a butter knife Jared, I swear to God," Evan hears Connor growl in the distance, but there's a bottom line of amusement under the threat that makes him think that the taller boy isn't actually serious. Probably.  
"Connor, don't murder Jared," Zoey says loud with her Mom Voice, sounding more annoyed than anything.

 

Evan giggles, or at least tries to with the flashlight still stuck in his mouth, and goes back to what he's doing. Once all their stuff is settled, they all sit comfortably, even turning Zoe into a blanket burrito at her request and officially start their stargazing session. Connor has tied his hair in a messy ponytail and is jamming a few paintbrushes in it to keep them within easy reach. His paint is nicely glowing in the dark of the night as he draws paterns on Evan's cast, while the latter is messing around with his own brush, painting fluorescent lines on the taller boy's face. Evan notices that Connor has fresh new doodles on his arms too, and his heart squeezes painfully. The fact that Connor still has pulsions of self-harm, even if he funnels it into drawing on his skin instead of damaging it, is always worrying. As he sadly passes his fingers on it, Connors stills and looks up, quickly meeting his eyes before looking down again.

 

"Larry was a dick last night," he simply says, drawing on them Jared's and Zoe's eyes.

 

His sister sighs and rolls on the side to face them :

 

"I knoooow," she whines, "He's just so toxic lately. He's super snappy and it always lands on Connor. I mean, that's so unfair, most of the time it isn't even related to you directly," she adds at her brother's attention.

 

Jared caws sympathetically, giving him the alcohol and patting him on the shoulder, then filches Evan's brush and quickly paints some orange stripes across Zoe's face, making her unintentionally giggle.

 

"You should ask to get transfered in our school," he says to Connor once he's done. "Our classes are shitty and most of our teachers are clowns but at least you would both be away from him..."

 

Evan doesn't say anything but gently squeezes Connor's fingers with his casted hand. Connor doesn't answer either, keeping his eyes down on the tree he's drawing on Evan's arm and taking a sip every once in a while. After a few minutes the smaller boy takes back his brush and makes a few more colorful lines on his friend's face, a blue one under each eye, a purple one from the hairline down the nose, an orange one on his chin, a pair of thin green lines across his cheeks... He adds a bunch of dots here and there, even if Connor doesn't seem to notice : he's too focused on his own drawing, lost deep in his own thoughts. Evan then turns to Jared, an eyebrow raised in a mute question. The other boy takes a final sip and wriggles closer, his glasses already pushed on his head. Behind him, Zoe is quietly napping. Looking up, Evan tries to copy some of the constellations he sees, dotting Jared's face and arms with light blue and green paint. He's not as good as Connor, but he's not doing as bad as he used to : after a while, Jared too is covered in tiny shiny stars. Evan takes advantage of a drinking pause to contemplate what Connor is doing and is amazed to see that, above the glowing tree now done on his arm, he also did a full sky that now covers most of the cast.

 

"That's. W-wow, Connor, that's incredible."

 

Connor seems pulled out of his trance and sheepishly smiles.

 

"Thanks. Want me to do the other arm ?"  
"Aw, you started painting without me ?!" Alana's chirpy voice interrupts them and there she is, proudly camped on her red bike, a large plastic bag wiggling on the luggage rack.  
"Al, you made it !" Zoe grins from under her seven blankets. "I thought you would abandon me to Jared's terrible jokes."  
"Excuse me, my jokes are very fashionable," he replies, pushing his glasses up on his nose with all the seriousness of the world.  
"They are very drunk more than anything," Connor tells him.  
"You can't a-argue with that," Evan adds, failing at hiding his smile.

 

Alana laughs and it's a clear, beautiful tingling laugh that lighten hearts and minds, and she begins to unpack the food, passing it around while Connor sits next to her and starts painting white roses on her cheeks.

 

"I got veggie sandwiches, goat cheese, ham, pizza rolls and cookies. Oh, and water because I knew what you meant by "taking care of the drinks", Jared. Also more paprika chips than usual because the Tree Bros always steal mine."  
"Why do you keep on calling us that ?" Connor groans, eyes fixed on his work.  
"I always told her to call your ship "High Anxiety" but she never listens me," Jared giggles, his mouth half-full of ham already, and Evan chokes on his saliva at the mention of shipping.  
"Do you have any butter knife lying around, by any chance ?" Connor asks Alana, his tone very slightly threatening.  
"No murder allowed," Zoe reminds him as Jared carefuly hides behind her, "Tonight is stargazing-night, not how-to-get-away-with-murder-night."  
"That's... oddly specific, actually," Alana says. "Did I miss something ?"  
"Classic squabbles between Tweedledick and Tweedlefuck," the blanket burrito smirks, earning angry glares from both Connor and Jared. "I'm joking, guys, relax. Enjoy the sky instead of being at each other's throat like that."  
"A-about the sky," Evan suddently speaks while pointing at the lights above his head, "Doesn't this star look w-weird to you ?"

 

They all look up at the same time in the general direction of his glowing finger. At first, they don't see anything, but after a few seconds, Zoe asks blankly :

 

"Is this shooting star... Coming our way ?"  
"Looks like it," Connor frowns.  
"Don't worry, it will burn in the atmosphere before it can reach us," Alana says, but she doesn't sound very sure of herself.

 

The star keeps growing and growing, and soon they have to wince to actually be able to look at it.

 

"Are you sure about it ? 'Cause it doesn't look very burn to me," Zoe gulps, warily standing up and folding her blankets under her arm.  
"Unless it's made of steel, there is no way for it to land on our faces. Theorically."  
"Mmmmh, I don't know about you guys but I don't want to stay around to confirm or deny your theory," Jared jolts up and grabs two pillows and the ramaining blankets.  
"Y-yeah, we should probably go."

 

Alana and Connor have their eyes fixed on the fireball picking up speed above them. Evan, already on his feet, tugs them by their respective sleeves.

 

"G-guys, come on, it's c-coming right on us. We should really..."

 

Zoe, half-way to the car, turns around to call them, but her eyes settles on the OVNI and she realizes how close the thing actually is.

 

"RUN !" she shrieks, and somehow this is what puts Connor in movement.

 

The male Murphy pushes Alana up on her feet and rushes towards the car, Evan still clinging on his T-shirt. Alana snaps out of her comtemplative mode and screams, making her legs working on their own.

 

"Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," Jared is screaming from the top of his lungs while erratically sprinting to the car, somewhere on Evan's left.

 

There's a low rumble filling the air and the light is intense enough to believe they're in the middle of the day. They're hit from behind by a wave of pureheat that makes them choke for air, and then it's the apocalypse.


	3. Space !

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real trip starts here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a pretty long one. Guess it'll allow me to work on something else for a while, uh.

There a loud boom, the sound of something ramming the ground at a monstuous velocity, and the earth rumbles under their feet, the sand in flying everywhere like an incandescent veil, burning their skins and every body part that isn't clothed. The world is set ablaze, sky and earth as fusioning into one big mess. It lastes three, maybe four seconds, but to Evan it feels like a small eternity. For a moment, space and time fuse around him and swallow him down, popping his ear-drums in the process. Then everything is quiet again. Evan becomes aware of his position on the ground and tries to stand up. He's slow, very slow, and everything hurts. The sound has been muted since the explosion, only leaving a mild tinnitus.

 

Evan stands up and shakes to get rid of the sand and the rumbling sensation. As he looks around, he notices that fortunately nobody seems hurt : Jared is on all four, his head between his arms, Connor is half-leaning on Alana, protecting her from the rain of dust that's falling on them and Zoe is slowly raising from behind the truck of the car, groaning loudly enough for Evan to hear her over the whistle in his ears.

 

"I-Is everyone o-okay ?" he asks, because one is never careful enough.

 

He doesn't hear the responses obviously, but as almost everyone thumbs up, he gets that's they're at least alive. Then he spins slowly around and takes in what crashed on them. At first, it just looks like a giant blue piece of metal, half-buried in the ground with a thin layer of dus falling back down on it. He steps closer, immediately followed by Zoe, but stays out of the thing's pulsating heat.

 

"What in Sam Hell is that ?" Zoe mutters, grabbing his hands in a desperate seeking of comfort.  
"It, um, it looks like a cat... O-Or a puma..."  
"Do you _really_ think it's time to make Red versus Blue references, you two ?" Jared sighs as he climbs the edge of the crater and slides smoothly next to the thing despite their combined shrieks. "Damn, it's pretty hot down there. Well, it actually looks like a puma, good eyes, Ev. Or a very, very big feline."  
"Hum, some help over here ?" Connor calls from behind them, making his sister and Evan spinning around. "I think Alana hit her head..."  
"Noooooo, I'm fine Connie, it's just- it's just a scratch !" the other one whimpers, sounding weirdly sluggish.  
"You're fucking spilling blood all over your shirt, do you really think I'm that dumb ?!"

 

There is a hint of hysteria in the boy's voice and Evan decides to come over and maybe calm them down. Zoe walks in the opposite direction and joins Jared down in the cat's whole.

 

"H-How bad is it ?" Eva, asks as he comes closer to Connor, a hand across his face to not see the eventual blood.  
"Pretty bad, I'm telling you," he grumbles, a blancket in his hand and pressed against their friend's face.  
"You're overacting, I'm fiiiiine," Alana says with a whiny tone.  
"She d-doesn't sound o-okay to me," Evan tells Connor, who's struggling to keep her down.  
"Hey Ev, can you do me a favor and grab the first aid kit ?" It's under the..."  
"Under the b-backseat, I know, I-I saw it."

 

And with that he's rushing away to the abandoned car, leaving Connor almost restling with Alana. He's back in a matter of minutes, the white and red box in his hands, and passes it over.

 

"O-Oh God that's bad," he physically cringes when he accidently takes a look at Alana's forehead.  
"I'm gonna make stitches, look away if you can't stand it," Connor warns.

 

Alana wiggles next to him, starting to worry.

 

"It looks that bad ? It can't be that bad, can it ? I mean I just hit my head against a pointy rock, no big deal..."  
"Lana," Connor says with a chill voice, his hands firmly grasping her shoulders. "If it scars, you'll be literally a female version of Harry Potter. Now stay still and, Evan ? Look away seriously. The last thing we need is you fainting."

 

Evan does as he's told and goes back to Jared and Zoe, who are whispering right where he left them.

 

"I'm telling you, this is not human fabrication. Have you seen how big it is ?" Jared mumbles as he pushes in vain on a white painted piece of metal.  
"Wh-what are you two d-doing ?"  
"Trying to open it," Zoe replies with a huff, brushing her hair out of her face. "Looks like there is an entrance here but we can't figure out how to get in. Yet."  
"We should probably just knock," Jared has a nervous laugh when the Murphy actually raises a fist to bump slowly on the metal.  
"Hellooooo ? Anyone home ? We're coming in peace !" she grins, knocking a few times on it, but jolts back with a scream when the door (?) actually opens. "What the..."  
"OH MY GOD THAT'S SO COOL !" Jared shrieks, already climbing in.  
"Ja-Jared no ! What a-are you doing !!" Evan shout-whispers, trying to make Zoe walk back but she just passes under his streched arm and climbs in after Jared. "Zoe !! Not you too !"  
"OH MY GOD IT'S A FUCKING SPACESHIP," the latter's overexcited voice echoes inside the confined space.

 

Evan gulps dryly and turns back to the edge of the hole, calling for the rest of his friends. Alana comes first, her stitches covered by a clean bandaid, almost running - even if not totally straight - followed by a furious Connor that keeps telling her to lay down because she has a concussion.

 

"Wait," she says, not paying attention to the second Murphy. "Are they..?"  
"Y-Yes, they're i-in it."

 

Alana has a dead look in her eyes.

 

"This thing crashed on us from out of space, and they just climbed in."  
"I'm gonna kill them," Connor calls.  
"Guys ! _Guys_ , come inside !" Jared reappears briefly at the entrance and flaps his hands excitedly in their general direction.

 

Evan takes an unsure step ahead and climbs in, quickly followed by his two friends. Inside, the light is dim and it smells like rust, as if the thing hasn't been open for years. Zoe is sitting in a weid-looking seat, pulling aimlessly on glowing commands. A few screens are dispayled in front of her.

 

" I-I feel the need to point out, just so that we're all, y'know, aware," Evan says, "We're in some kind of futuristic a-alien cat head right now."  
"A very cool one," Jared and Zoe reply in sync, making Connor roll his eyes.  
"Alright the evil tech twins, can we get out now ? I'm pretty sure we have no right to be in there."  
"Fuck you Connor, this is the most amazing thing that happened to us, and you want to run away from it ?" Zoe crowls. "Heck no."  
"I agree with your sis, man," Jared grins in the light of the screens. "That's pretty awesome."  
"Not to butt in, but they're kind of right," Alana adds.  
"I-I mean they're not wrong, " Evan mumbles for himself, but then catch the dark look in his friend's eyes and gulps. "Look, how m-many times in our life will we see an e-extraterestrial engine like this one ?"

 

Connor rolls his eyes harder and Evan is really afraid that he might get stuck. But the tallest Murphy huffs and gently smacks Jared on the back of the head.

 

"You two nerds are insufferable when you're together."

 

Zoe widely grins and pulls the controls once again, but this times the movement does something and the entire structure starts to rumbles. They will massively deny it later, but Evan and Jared share a high-pitched screech and jump back. Zoe is giggling like a mad drunk and Alana barely stands up, eyes wide with the reconsideration of recent life choices.

 

"M-make it stop !!" Evan yells from down the entrance.  
"I can't ! It's doing it by itself !" Zoe yells back, agitating in her sit.

 

Suddently, the whole cat thing shakes and gets back on its feet - paws ? Evan really doesn't think about it at the moment - and starts to _run_. More screams join his as everything melts into a blurr and, suddently the thing goes up and Evan knows it more than he feels it : they're flying. The metallic cat is flying.

 

"Zoe for fuck's sake, land !" Connor yells from behing the seat, but his sister only shakes her head frantically.  
"I can't ! It's flying by itself ! And it keeps saying me to not let go !"  
"It's _what_ ?!" the tall boy shouts, stunned. "It's... It's talking to you ? Right now ?"  
"Not talking talking, it's more like feelings, you know ? Aaaaaah, brace yourself !!" she screeches, the levers dragging her forward and almost out of the pilot seat.

 

The "nose" of the cat points at the sky and takes speed, passing through the stratosphere like nothing, and then stabilizing in the void of space. Inside, nobody makes a sound. Jared is slowly coming back in the cockpit, rubbing his sore neck ; Zoe seems to realize what just happened ; Evan is pretty sure his skin turned green or something ; Alana is sprawled across the floor because it was probably the smartest thing to do when aboard of a swaying spaceship ; Connor is still clutched at the back of the seat, his nails embedded in it.

 

Alana finally reacts and walks to Zoe's side : her eyes are fixed on a floating piece of ice, not very far from them.

 

"Not to scare you or anything, but this is Europe, one of Jupiter's moons."  
"What do you mean ?" Connor says while trying to unfold his crisped fingers.  
"I mean that we're very, very far from home. One hundred eighty thousand kilometers, to be precise."  
"I'm gonna be sick," Evan weakly replies, and drops on his knees and hands to stop the spinning.  
"Wow, that's... Wow," Zoe agrees, a headache slowly creeping to her temples.

 

Connor groans and passes a hand on his face, his fingertips brushing smoothly on the dry paint.

 

"Guess we're all ditching class tomorrow," Jared deadpans.

 

Evan's nerves crack and he laughs hysterically, quickly followed by a giggly Connor and a cry-laughing Zoe. Alana rolls her eyes and looses herself in the contemplation of the satellite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you get the RvB references ? :D


	4. Alien Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared cracks doors, Evan is a mattress and Alana does some earthbreaking revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, it's been a while ! Hope you'll enjoy this one !

"Remember when I said I don't believe in collective dreams ? Scratch that, I totally believe in them," Jared grumbles, slowly taking in the alien castle standing in front of them.  
"Or maybe there was something in the paint. Or the food."  
"My paint is perfectly safe Zoe, how even dare you."  
"Or I'm not the only one who hit their head," Alana proposes.  
"Aaaaand we're back to the collective dream theory."  
"O-Or a collective coma."  
"Well that was depressing," Connor mutters, earning a small 'sorry' from Evan.

 

Zoe takes the initiative to enter the building, followed closely by the rest of the group. The place is cold and smells musty, as if it hadn't been ventilated for a very long time. They walk down corridors and hallways, the noise of their steps on the floor resonating around. They loose themselves more times than Evan can count, retracing their path just to be mistaken again. After all this open space, they kind of feel reassured when they eventually reach a door that Jared cracks open with little difficulty, mumbling "Hold my beer, I got this". They eventually enter a dark chamber with weird-looking steel plates in the ground ; Jared and Alana toy around with a translucent computer terminal. At everyone surprise, two of the steel plates rise up with a pressure noise, making both Evan and Zoe jump backwards with a shout. It turns out they're cryogenic pods of some sort with two humanoid figures inside. Connor steps closer and taps the cold glass with a paint-covered finger.

 

"Are these guys... Dead ?"

 

The pod closer to Evan suddently opens and someone falls on the poor guy, who yelps once again as he catches them.

 

"Father !" they gasp, gripping at Evan's arms to steady themself.

 

Connor is there in seconds, helping them to stay on their feet and finally getting a look at them. At him. He looks young, almost younger than them, even. He lifts his eyes and meets Evan's and Connor's, both of their faces frowning in confusion.

 

"H-Hello."  
"Who are you ?" the guy asks. "Where am I ?"  
"I'm, uh, I'm Evan. And we're i-in a spacial castle, I... guess ?"

 

The poor kid looks even more confused as he straightens for good and takes two steps away from them, his hands nervously flattening the front of his robe.

 

"What are you ? Where is the King ? What are you doing in my castle ?"

 

Zoe chooses this moment to step in and says, her hand landing securely on Evan's shoulder :

 

"A giant blue lion brought us here. That's all we know."  
"How do you have the Blue Lion ? What happened to its Paladin? What are you all doing here ? Unless... How long has it been ?" he starts walking around frenetically, his hands landing on the console and turning on a screen, typing faster and faster on it.

 

Alana's brain finally catches up and she calls :

 

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. Who are you ?"  
"I'm Prince Jeremy of Altea," he answers, focused on the things passing on the screen. "I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep."

 

Jared peeks over Jeremy's shoulder, watching him type, and says :

 

"Oh okay, that's how it works."

 

The pod next to Alana opens too and another kid drops from it, losing his balance for a second before stabilizing himself.

 

"Oh quiznak. I'm having a severe case of Sleep Chamber Knees..." he mumbles as he steps forwards carefully and stops to glance around with curiosity. "And who are you people supposed to be ?"  
"Michael !!"

 

Jeremy turns around and jumps on the newcomer, crushing him in a bear-like hug and getting hugged back. Before anyone can react to that, the computer starts bipping and Jared pokes curiously at it.

 

"Hey Prince, your calculator finished whatever the hell it was doing."

 

The kid rushes back to it clicking on a few things... And stares. The other cryogenised kid -Michael, it appears - walks up to him and gasps, his jaw dropping.

 

"Oh my. Okay, that wasn't planned at all !"  
"Ten thou... I can't believe we slept for ten thousand years !" Jeremy shrieks, pulling on his hair.

 

Jared snorts.

 

"Dramaqueen," he says, hiding it under a cough and earning an elbow jab from Zoe. "Ow, what the fuck Murphy !"  
"Ten thousand ? Wow. That's a hell of a nap," Connor says, folding his arms on his chest and leaning on the nearest wall, his face carefully blank. "Do you... Remember what happened ?"  
"I'm not... sure," Jeremy frowns. "I was on the Bridge with Father. And Michael was there, too. And... the Castle was under attack ? Holy shit, we were attacked !"  
"Zarkon," Michael's face lits up as he realizes.  
"And Father, he... Did he flash me ? I remember a bright light and then falling asleep. Mike, our entire civilization..! Christine, and Rich, and Chloe ! They're all gone !" he punches the console, his eyes filling with tears. "I can't believe it ! Zarkon fucked everything !"  
"Zarkon ?" Alana reapeats and frowns, as if something crossed her mind.

 

Michael sighs and rests a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, whose head is dangling over the screen, his eyes hidden behind his hand.

 

"He was the King of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people."

 

Alana shudders and hugs herself tightly.

 

"My dad mentioned this man once. That was long time ago, before he... Before..." she gulps. "Anyway. He said he was evil. A destructor, an imperor trying to take over the universe. At the time I thought it was an hyperbole, but now I'm seriously doubting it."

 

Jeremy's head shoots up and he squints.

 

"How could your father know these things ?"

 

The whole group falls silent as Alana fidgets, aware of the attention she drew on her. She answers, but it comes out more like a question.

 

"He's... My dad is a Galra ?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half-Galra Alana ? Half-Galra Alana.


	5. Discord Update !

Hello ! Quick update to share with you the Discord server I host and where there are a whole bunch of very nice people ! Come by whenever you feel like saying hello ! :)

Link [here](https://discord.gg/egaKgJZ) !


	6. Pick Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana is a walking mystery, Connor is so done with this shit, Jared and Zoe team-up and Evan is in a pickle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO I'M BACK *throws chapters and runs away*

Evan chokes on his saliva and so does Jared, while Zoe's eyes go wide. Connor shifts uncomfortably.

 

"Your father is a what ?" Jeremy repeats, as if he didn't get it right the first time.

 

Alana moves her weight from a foot to the other, her fingers nervously twisting one of her braids.

 

"My father is Galra," she explains. "But he's one of the good guys, I swear ! Before he came on Earth, he was part of a rebel organization fighting the Empire from the inside."  
"You don't look very alien to me," Jared cuts her, squinting suspiciously behind his glasses.  
"Hah," she snorts. "Well, I do, actually, you just can't tell right away."

 

Zoe walks closer, her face a few inches away from Alana's, making the latter blush, and then gasps.

 

"You have colored lens !"

 

Alana smiles and removes her glasses. Michael and Jeremy get closer, looking at her right in the eyes.

 

"They're yellow," the prince states blankly.  
"What do you mean they're yellow ?" Connor frowns.  
"I mean they're yellow. Your friend has yellow eyes."  
"And purple hair," Alana adds, drawing another amazed gasp from Zoe and Evan.  
"W-wait seriously ?" he asks. "But you looks so... so human !"  
"I won the genetic lottery," she shrugs. "My older brother has literal fangs and my younger one has slit pupils."

 

As she talks, she visibly pales and swallows. Connor and Zoe exchange a look : the idea that they're very far from home is starting to sink in. Jared clears his throat and pats Alana's shoulder, drawing everyone's attention on him.

 

"Biology is nice and all but don't we have something more important to do right now ? Like stopping that Zarkon guy from taking over the entire universe ?"  
"Wait, you really think we'll be able to do that ?" Connor scoffs. "We're kids. How the fuck do you expect us to one-up a whole nation ?"  
"And yet, you're probably the only hope of the free people," Jeremy shakes his head, something dark in his eyes.  
"No."  
"No ?" he frowns, turning on his heels to face the older Murphy.  
"No," Connor repeats more firmly. "We're no soldiers, let alone warriors. We have no idea how to pilot aliens ships."  
"Talk for yourself," Zoe snorts and crosses her arms.  
"Shut your mouth, Zoe, you almost killed us trying to land."  
"No !" she suddenly snaps, pressing a finger in her brother's chest. "We have the occasion to do something great ! We could be helping people, what the fuck, we could help _aliens_ ! I'm not backing away now !"  
"What the fuck," her brother growls and grabs her wrist to stop her stabbing finger.  
"We could die out there," Evan gulps with difficulty.  
"But it would be worth it !" Jared counters.  
"You too ?!" Connor yells.  
"What ? Of fucking course ! No human has been so far !"  
"Jared, please- !"  
"No, Zoe is right !"  
"Ah ! See ?"  
"Shut up !"  
"Evan, don't encourage him."  
"OH MY GOD CAN YOU ALL STOP SCREAMING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER ?"

 

They all turn to Jeremy, whose fists are tight at his sides. Michael takes a prudent step back.

 

"How can you fight on this subject ?!" he yells, angry tears shining in his eyes. "You have no choice in this matter. The Galra could take over the Earth while we're still standing here deciding if you want to fight or not ! What the fuck is wrong with you people ?"  
Connor's expression closes, jaw setting in a hard line.  
"This is blackmail."  
"No, this is a matter of life or death."  
"We never asked to be here in the first place !" he snarls.  
"What don't you understand in 'you have no choice' ?! They'll come for your planet sooner or later !"  
"Then let them ! Then we will deal with them !"  
"Oh for fuck sake..!"  
"Enough !" Alana yells, bringing silence in the room. "Let's vote like responsible persons. Who is in favor of staying and fighting the war, raise your hand."

 

Zoe, Jared and Jeremy immediately shoot their hand up, Michael following reluctantly.

 

"Who wants to go home, raise you hand."

 

Connor decisively raises his.

 

"And who doesn't want to chose, raise your hand," she concludes, doing so herself, Evan eventually joining her.

 

Connor cringes so hard Jared can almost him from across the room.

 

"I see how it is," he says, his voice oddly calm and composed. "Evan, let's go."

 

Evan looks up, mouth open in a silent protest, but nothing gets past his throat. Zoe sighs and puts herself in her brother's trajectory to the door.

 

"And how exactly do you think you'll go back ?"

 

Connor's scowl deepens even more and he shoves her away without a warning. She yelps as she bumps into Alana and Jared immediately throws his hands in the air.

 

"Could you not being so dramatic ? Evan, don't follow him."

 

Evan stops right where he stands, looking desperately between his two friends.

 

"Evan, come on," Connor calls, almost begging.  
"Evan, no," Jared says.  
"We have to go home."  
"We won't have a home to go back to if we don't do it."  
"Evan, please-"  
"Ev, I'm your best friend, you have to trust me-"  
"Don't leave me alone-"  
"We need you-"  
"Stop !" Evan screams, clapping his hands on his ears. "Stop it ! I- I can't ! Don't make me choose between you two !"

 

And with that, he runs out of the door. Connor's face falls, regret instantly replacing anger, and Jared curses under his breath. They both make a move for the door, but Alana and Zoe step in.

 

"Let me talk to him," Zoe says. "I'm a better mediator than you guys."  
"I'm coming with you," Alana replies, her tone not admitting any refusal.

 

Zoe nods and exits the room, her friend on her heels. The two remaining boys exchange a wary look from each side of the room. Jeremy scoffs and turns back to the screen. Michael sighs.

 

"Well, fuck."

 

"They're idiots," Zoe declares as they blindly walk down hallways, trying to guess which way Evan could have run.  
"They are," Alana sighs, weariness starting to show on her face. "But I can understand what motivate them."  
"I mean, that's just so stupid," she rambles, "It's obvious that we don't have a choice there so why lose time trying to fly away from our responsibilities ?"  
"That's exactly the problem, I think. Since when it's _our_ responsibility to fight this war ?"  
"You're siding with Connor now ?" Zoe frowns.  
"No, I'm just trying to explain his point of view. I get it, in a way, but you and Jared are right too. It's only a matter of time until the whole... universal war... comes knocking at our door."  
"Thank you !"  
" _But !_ I still think it shouldn't be up to us, out of all people, to do this," Alana interrupts her. "Con said it : we're kids. We're not prepared for any of this. We're just... us."

 

Zoe hums quietly, letting the words sink in. Her eyes dart in her friend's direction, lingering a little on her face. When Alana notices, she raises an eyebrow.

 

"What ?"

 

Zoe blushes, already looking away, and mumbles something. Alana laughs.

 

"Are you trying to see if I'm turning purple ?"  
"No ! ...Okay, yes. Maybe a little. I can't get over the fact that you're half-alien. You really don't look like a purple space cat."

 

Alana simply shrugs as she looks right and left at a crossing.

 

"My human genes are just more dominants."  
"But do you, like, hear better or something ? Are you stronger ?"  
"Well I could definitely snap your arm if I wanted," she smirks playfully, "But my mom raised no bitch."

 

Zoe snorts and shakes her head, already thinking about another question when Alana stills and puts a finger on her lips. The young Murphy frowns, listening more carefully. In the silence, the discreet sobs get more discernable. The girls exchange an unequivocal look and follow the sound. They find Evan curled up against a wall, his head between his knees, hands on his neck and breath shaky. He barely looks up when they sits next to him and when Zoe puts her hands into view.

 

"Evan ? I'm going to touch you, alright ? But you need to breath."

 

She puts her hands in his, tracing small circles with her thumbs on the back of his wrists while Alana is counting slowly. After what feels like an eternity, Evan eventually calms down enough to put his knees down and let the girls see his face. His eyes are still haggard, but at least some color is back on his face.

 

"I can't do that," he whispers, so low that they barely hear him. "I can't do that, I-I don't want to die in space-- I don't even want to die most of the t-time, what the hell..."  
"None of us want this, Ev," Zoe says, her voice steady and soothing. "But the thing is, I really don't think we have a choice."  
"Well, technically we could just all go back home and wait for this whole situation to fall on us when we're less aware, but..."  
"Alana, not helping."  
"Right. Sorry."

 

Evan takes a deep breath and forcefully steadies his hands with a glare, like they offended him personally or something. Alana is opening her mouth to say something when an alarm blares above their head, startling the three of them.

 

"Guys, we need you back here right now !" Jeremy's voice rings loud and clear.

 

They look at each other for half a second. It's just long enough for them to understand that something is really wrong, that it's starting already, that they have to make a choice. They jump on their feet and start running.


End file.
